Strategically Communicating

Photo courtesy of Nathan Stephens, Creative Commons.

Many small offices don’t have operations managers, IT support or HR directors. Almost no one has a designated cultural ambassador–someone to facilitate communication and head off misunderstanding before it occurs.

What does it take to be a cultural ambassador? What would your organization look like if you had staff trained in diversity, interpreting and translating various belief systems and ensuring that operations are running democratically? If that job was offered, what do you think the description would look like?

After reading chapters two and three in Strategic Communication in Business and the Professions (7th Edition), and attending trainings for PRSA Counselor’s Academy, I am curious about workplace climates that support similar roles–and other forms of organizational health.
I understand that a cultural ambassador needs to possess a high level of communication competence, in addition to being patient, earnest and social. I wonder if there is a set of criteria that describes a workplace poised for this task. Have you ever belonged to an organization that would foster this role?